Machine for printing proofs.



R. 0. VANDEROOOK. MACHINE POR PRINTING PROOPS.

l APPLICATION FILED IEB.8. 1909. y 4 1,94%848. Patented 0ct.29,191`2.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

l z@ l x R. 0. VANDERGOOK. MMHINB PoR PRINTING moors.

` v APPLICATION FILED TEB .8, 1909. 1,042,848, Patented Oct. 29, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2'.

` To all whom 'it vmay concern ,printing proofs or taking fproof impressions larly pointed out in the appended claims.

members or Aplates 11, `11, between the lower UNITED sTA'rEs PATENT- oEEioE.

ROBERT 0. 'VANDER/COOK, 0F FRUIT'VALE, CALIFORNIA.

MACHINE FOR PRINTING PROOFS.

Be it known that I, ROBERT O. VANDER- oooii, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Fruitvale, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lllachines for Printing Proofs; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being` had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a novel press for from composed types or rms of different kinds preparatory to final printing therefrom, and the invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth and more particu- The object of the invention is to provide a lsimple, convenient, efficient and readily operated press for printing proof or other copy from types, cuts and engravings made by any process and which is constructed and arranged to give a positive and uniform impression by a iirm and unyielding pressure of the printing elements and thereby insure a clean-cut impression on any kind of stock, and insure detection of imperfections and deIic-iencies in the printingI faces of the types, cuts or engravings, and which readily lends itself to accurate adjustment of interchangable tympans.

`As shown in the drawings :--Figure 1 is an end elevation, partially broken away, of a proof printing press made in-accordance with my invention. Fig; 2 is a topf'plan view of the press. F ig. 3 is a side view thereof. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 4 4: of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a partial horizontal section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

As shown in the drawings, l() designates' a fixed, horizontal type bed which, as herein shown, is made an integral part of a type bed frame but may be made separate therefrom and fixedly attached thereto. Said frame embraces two vertical, parallel side margins of which the type bed extends, and front and rear connecting members 12 and 13, respectively, which, as herein shown, are integral with and join the side members 4rigidly together. y Y, i

15 designates a rocking, segmental im` Specigcation of Letters Patent.

Application :tiled February 8, 1909. Serial No. 476,695.

Ipression member which islocated over tlie.

resented oet. 29,1912.

type bed 10 and with its convex' surface facing the bed plate, and is adapted to press a proof sheet against the composed types or form 16 supported on the type bed. The lower curved face of the impression member is provided vwith an interchangeable tympan 16i to adapt the press to work of different characters. The tympan is turned at its side margins upwardly against the sides of said limpression member and is attached thereto by any suitable form of clamping device 17. The impression member is formed with a central, upwardly extending transverse web portion 19. The said impression member is herein shown as made integral with supporting rockers or bearers 20, one at each end lof the impression member, and the lower con- `verily curved faces of said rockers are concentric with the curved bearing face of the impression member. The said rockers are arranged to rest and roll on upwardly facing rails 21, 21` arranged parallel with each other, one at. each side, and above the level of the type bed. As herein shown, said lower curved faces of the rockers are provided With teeth 22 which engage a series of notches 23 formed in the rails 21, whereby the impression.member is held from shifting relatively to the type bed. The said curved bearing surfaces of the rockers extend a substantial distance beyond the sides of the Vimpression member, .whereby when the movable parts of the press assume the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3, the bearing portion of the impression member will be swung clear of the type bed and the types or form supported thereon. Extending upwardly from the ends of said im* pression member are two parallel arms 25, 25 which are connected at their upper ends by la transverse cross bar 26, the whole con st-ituting an operating handle by which to rock the impression member back and forth relatively to the type bed. Extending outwardly and oppositely fromthe rockers 20, and arranged concentrically ,with respect to the curved bearing faces of said impression member and the rockers, are two horizontal studs 28, -28 which carry bearing rollers 29, 29. Each of said bearing rollers comprises a hub portion 3() and a cylindric flange portion 31. Said cylindric flange portionsv of the bearing rollersy engage downwardly facing tracks 'or bearing surfaces 32, 32 formed onthe'inner faces of the side plates of the frame near their upper margins. The said downwardly facing ,bearing surfaces or porting rails :2l and the engagement thereof with the bearing rollers serves to hold the .rockers down upon their supporting rails and to prevent the impression member froln rising during the rocking or printing movement thereo By reason of the concentric location of the studs 28 with respect to the curved bearing faces of the impression member l5 and the rockers 20, and the fact that the downwardly facing surfaces 3Q against which said rollers bear are parallel ywith the rails upon which the rockers rest and roll, the said studs move in a straight pat-h, parallel with the type bed, during the rocking movement-of the impression member. The points of contact of the rockers with their supporting rails, and the line of contact of the impression member, with vthe sheet A which receives the proof impression from the types will, therefore, always be vertically below the points of contact of the bearing rollers Q9 with the downwardly facing surfaces or tracksl 32. The force which holds the impression member downto itsv work is, .therefore, always exerted in a vertical direction and at right angles to the surface of the type or form' from which' the impression/is to be taken. For'tlie reasons above mentioned, there is little tendency of the impression lmember slipping on its support during the rocking or printing movement thereof, even though the toothed bearing surfaces of the rockers be omitted.

It will be noted that the downwardly facing bearing surfaces or tracks are located in a horizontal' plane at a vertical distance from fthe horizont-al plane`icontaining the longitudinal-central axis of the studs 28, thtl is to say, the axis'of oscillation of the y impression member, less than *the radius of lso saidv impression memberrl facing bearingsurfahes or tracks are thus lbrought close to the axis of oscillation of the impression member whereby the friction due to thel operation of said im ression member is greatly reduced and ren ered almost negligible.

The side membersfll of the type bed' frame are and adjacent to theends thereof, with iriprovided' near their upper sides,

wardly extending stop pins 35,' 35 which are arranged to engage the upper margins of the rockers'and serve to limit the rockin or rolling movement of the impression member, as clearly indicated in the dotted line position of the impression member in Fig. 3. Said pins, or at least the pair at one end of the frame, are designed to be removed,d and when removed the impression member and the supporting rockers thereof may be readily removed from and inserted into the space between thev side members of the frame.

which is to ,receive the impression Said downwardly clear.

`The frame is open at its ends to permit such removal and to permit the impression member to be rocked to its extreme positions.

ln the use of the device. the impression member is first swung or rocked to one limit of its movement, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3. In this position of the parts the impression member is swung inwardly above and beyond the type bed, so that the composed types or form' may be readily placed ,if thereon Vand removed therefrom. This is dueto the fact that the curved bearing surfaces'of the rockers or bearers are extended a substantial distance beyond the bearing face of the type member, and the frame is so constructed as to permit the rockers or bearers to be rocked outwardly entirely to their ends. This feature of the construction is of great'practical importance and contributes greatly to the convenient and rapid operation of the press. After` the impressionmember has been rocked to the limit of its movement the composed types or form from which the impression is to beV takenr are placed on the bed plate 10. vWhen the impression is taken fromcomposed types the types may be confined together in any manner well known to printers. The types mayl be locked' inv a vchase`,"or, as herein shown, they may be bound together by re- 95 taining strings 37 would around thesame. After the types have thus been placed ink is applied thereto and the sheet of paper A is placed thereover. The impression member is then rocked from the position indicated. in dotted lines in Fig. 3 -to the opposite limit of its movement and, in rockingpover the type, presses the sheet aga-inst the inked'types or form to receive from.

Inasmuch as the impression member is supported on the rails21, through the me-` dium of the rockers 20, it will be observed that the sheet of paper which receives the proof impression will be pressedwith a uniform'and relatively light, though positive, pressure on the inked types or form, thus securing a clear and uniform imprint.. 4By reason of the fact Ithat slippage between the. im- 11g pression member and the types or form suplported on the type bed is avoided, the4 imprint will be without blur and, therefore, A further result of supporting the impression member ih the manner shown, relatively to the type bed and the types or form supported thereon, is that the curved surface ofthe impression member does not follow irregularities of the type surface. Therefore, in the event that any of the t pes or any part of the form be too low this will be indicated by a faint impression or no impressitmat all, and will thus give opportunity to properly aline the printing surface of the types or form before final 13a 4the proof impression there- 105 printing. Defects in the type faces will also be thus made apparent. Moreover, the construction of the press permits proofs to be 'printed bn sheets of any weight desired.

The upper face of the type bed may be.

spond with the maximum width of the proof sheets 'and the lengt-h ofthe type bed and impression member will be varied 1n different presses to suit the dimensions and character Iof the work.

I may also provide a registering device for engagement with `the advance margin of the sheet which receives the proof impression and by which the sheet may be properly registered. A form of registering device which may be conveniently used, and which 'I have herein shown, is made as follows: 42 designates a gage bar arranged transversely over the type bed in rear of the types or form supported thereon. Said gage bar is provided at its 'rear end with a vcrtical registering lange 43 arranged to en gage the advance margin of the sheet to properly register the same. A movable or adjustable gage plate 44 is supported on the gage bar by means of a screw 45,. adapted to enter any one of a plurality of apertures 46 of the gage bar. The saidgage plate 44 isiprovided with a vertical flange 47 which presents a laterally facing shoulder against which to register the left hand margin of a sheet at its advance margin, in a familiar manner. By reason of the movability of the gage plate 44 it is adapted to register sheets A of different lengths. The said gagel bar 42 is supported on the rear ends of `rods 48, 48 which extend rearwardly through openings in the front transverse member 12 of the frame, oneat each side of the frame. They are attached at their rear ends tothe opposite ends of the gage bar. The said supporting rods 48 are connected at their front ends outside ofthe frame by means of 'a co-nnecting bar 49 which is apertured for the passage of the rods 48' therethrough. The .connecting bar may be fixed to the rods by means ofl set screws 50, 50 which extend through screw-threaded openings in the ends of said connecting bar and are arranged to iinpinge attheir inner ends against the supporting rods. This arrangement of the connecting bar and rods permits the bar to be adjusted along the length of the supporting rods 48. Said connecting bar also serves as Ya stop to limit the rearward. movement of the gage bar 42 and,`by reason of the adjust' ment ofthe connecting bar 49 on the rods, the position of said gage bar from front to rear of the type bed may be regulated vas'desired to accommodate proof sheets of vary* ing widths. The said rods 48 are preferablyl spring rods and may be arranged and mounted to normally hold the gage bar upwardly wit-h its upper surface slightly above the types 1Q. Thuswhen a proof impression is to be made thel sheet is laid with its advanced edge on the gage bar and properly registered, and at this time is slightly above the inked face of the types. Thereafter, when the impression member is swung or rocked forwardly it depresses the gage bar and also carries the sheet downwardly against the inked types or form. This arrangement also affords an additional pre- -caution against the shifting of the sheet upon the inked face of the types or form and contributes to the neatness of the proof. The resiliency of the supporting rods of .the gage bar and their longitudinal movement permitssaid bar to be raised above the level of the types or form and to be drawn forwardly thereover preparatory to inking the types or forms and thus avoid smearing the bar with ink during the inking opera* tion. The gage bar is then moved forwardly over the types and backwardly into place at a time when the impression member occupies the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3.

It will. be obvious that ,the details of the press may be consideiably varied within the scope of the invention, while retaining the general mode of operation and points of advantage hereinbefore enumerated. I do not, therefore7 limit the inventive details .to the particular' details illustrated except as hereinafter made the sub] ect of specific claims.

I claim as my invention :e

l. In a printing press comprising a hori zontal type-bed, a frame therefor embracing vertical side plates, supporting rails at the sides of the type-bed, a rockil'ig, segmental, impression member located between said side plates, rockers rigid with the impression member 'and supported on the said rails, the said side plates being provided with' downwardly facing bearing surfaces parallel' with said'rails and located in a plane at a vertical dist-ance from the axis of oscillation of said impression member' less than the radius of said impression-1nember, laterally and oppositely extending studs carried by the impression-member, and roll-r ers mounted on the studs adapted to havek rolling engagement with said downwardly facing bearing surfaces.

2, A printing press comprising a hori-v zontal type bed, a frame therefor embrac# ing vertical side plates, supporting rails at` the sides of the type bed, a rocking7 segmental impression-member located between 4said side plates, rockers rigidwith said im-f supported on said rails, t-he said side plates being provided with downwardly facing bearing surfaces parallel with said rails and located in I a plane at a Vertical distance from the axis of oscillation of said impression member less than the radius of said impression-member, and the impression'- member being provided witli parts arranged for rolling engagemfnt with said downwardlyl` facing bearing surfaces, said impression-member being provided with up wardly extending aims connected by a cross member to afford a handle to rock the im y pression member.

3. A printing press comprising a Fhorizontal'type-bed, a frame therefor embracing vertical side plates, supporting rails at the sides of the type-bed, a rocking, segmental .impression-memberlocated between said side plates, rockers rigid with the impression member supported on saidvrails, the said 4 side plates being provided with downwardly facing bearing surfaces parallel to said rails 'l and located in a plane at a vertical distance fronithe axis of oscillation of said impression-member less than the radius of said impression-member, and the impressionmember beingprovided with parts arranged 35. ing rails'at the sides of the type bed, a rockforA rolling engagement with said downwardlyfacing bearing surfaces, and stops extending inwardly from said side plates to limit the rocking movement of the im:- pression member.

LLA, printing press comprising a horizontal' type bed, a frame ltherefor embracing vertical side plates, ,parallel supporting, segmental impression member located between said side plates, rockers'rigid with the impression member supported on said rails, the said side plates being provided with downwardly facing? bearing surfaces 'i parallel with said rails, and the impression member being provided 'withparts arranged for engagement with said bearing surfaces, and s tops extending'inwardly from'the endsv of said' side' plates near their upper margins i .to limit the rocking movement -of the iml its ends and the said stops being removable pression member, said frame being op at 'to permit the. impression member and 'its rockers to be removed 'fi-on. and insel ted be-f; tween the side'plates at the endsfof said l frame.

, rails, said rockers and said rails being proi.

5. In a printing press comprising a hori- 'zontal type-bed, a frame therefor embracing vertical side plates, supporting rails ,at the sides of the type-bed, a rocking, segmental impression-member located between said-side plates, rockers rigid withthe impression-luguber and supported on the said vided with intermeshingA teeth, the said side plates 'being provided with downwardly facing bearing surfaces parallel with said rails and locatedl in a plane ata vertical distance fromthe axis of oscillation lof said' impressionmember less than the radius of `said impression-member, laterally and op- -positely extending studs carried by the impression-member, and rolls mounted on the studs adapted to have rolling engagement with said downwardly facing bearing surfaces. l

, 6. In a print-ing press comprising a horizontal type-bed, a frame therefor embracing vertical side plates, supporting rails at` the sides of thetype-bed, a rocking, segmental impression-inember located between said side plates, 'rockers rigid with the inif impression-member, laterally and oppositely extending studs carried by the impression member, and rollers mounted on the st-uds adapted to have rolling engagement with said downwardly .facing bearing surfaces.

7. In a printing press comprising a horizontal type-bed, a frame therefor embracing vertical side plates, supporting rails at the sides (if the type-bed, a rocking, segmental impression-member located between said side plates, rockers rigid with'the impressionmember and supported on the said rails, said rockers extending beyond the curved face of the 4impression-member, the said side plates being provided with downwardly -facingbearii'igsurfaces parallel withl said rails and located in a plane at a vertical distance from-the axis of oscillation of said im ression-incinber less than the radius' of sai impression-member, laterally and oppositely extending studs carried by the, im ressionmember, and-rollers mounted on t e studs ada Ited to have rolling engagement with sai In testimony, that'I claim the foregoing as my invention I alix my si ature in the resence of two witnesses, this lith day of` ebruary A. 1D. 1909. l A y,

vROBERT O. VANDERCOOK. Witnesses:

L. HALL, Gnomiz R. WinKiNs.

downwardlyfacing bearing surfaces. 

